


Eucalyptus (safeguard)

by PeaceatDawnn



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abuse, Bullying, Divorce, Escape, Fluff, Friendship, Kindness, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Substance Abuse, Triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-02-17 06:29:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13071063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceatDawnn/pseuds/PeaceatDawnn
Summary: Everyone has a story. Every person's experiences shape others. Every character has a story or is a major idea in one. The time line goes from preseason one to the newest season. Most of the characters don't have backstories or weren't explored enough in the series and I decided to change that.





	1. Orange Lily

I flop down on my bed, trying to make shapes out of the popcorn ceiling, and think about my life.

I know that my parents are going to get divorced, I just don't know when. Nancy I know can take it, but Holly is just a year, She will have no memories of the happy times. Then again the happy times ended after she started to crawl.

Mom would yell at Dad for forgetting to put the baby locks back on when he was done using a cabinet. She would yell that he doesn't spend enough time with Holly or any of his other children for a matter of fact. She would yell at him for not making enough and she suggested that he should "get another job, but that would be devastating if the neighbors found out." the fights are stupid! She hasn't worked since Nancy was born and that was the fall of her freshman year of college. Or at least it would have been, she didn't go to college. All she knew was raising kids. I think she had Holly to try to keep her job, but to also make my dad stay. Dad never raises his voice, he doesn't even answer back. He just puts his head down, like a child being shamed for receiving a bad grade on their school work. It usually takes her at least three glasses of wine to get this angry but, she has been spiraling more. she doesn't just drink during dinner anymore. she drinks more during the day or goes to the bar at night if we don't have any alcohol left. I don't want to interfere with the fighting, especially when she is drunk, so I hide here or take long bike rides if they fight when it is light out.

I just want them to get it over with already. There have always been whispers around town about my parents. The rumors are absolutely ridiculous. they say that my dad is the abuser and that Hopper had to come to our house a couple of times because of the fights, apparently my mom won't leave the house for a few days because of al the cuts and bruises she would get. Well that is what Nancy would call "Bull shit". This town can be absolutely stupid. No one ever leaves, we always stay for one reason or another.

I am leaving this town as soon as I turn eighteen! No matter what happens I am leaving this town. I am going to a college far away and never turning back. 

I hear silence. There are creaks from the floorboards meaning that mom is going to bed. Dad has been sleeping on the lazy boy in the family room since we bought it, I think he bought it just so he didn't have to sleep on that uncomfortable couch. 

The sound of footsteps are lighter and their aren't so many creaks this time. I know that it is Nancy that is checking on baby Holly. I don't hear any crying, which is good. Mom would blame her yelling and waking up Holly on him. Nancy continues and the footsteps sound closer which is strange because she never comes to visit me.  
I flop down on my bed, trying to make shapes out of the popcorn ceiling, and think about my life.

I know that my parents are going to get divorced, I just don't know when. Nancy I know can take it, but Holly is just a year, She will have no memories of the happy times. Then again the happy times ended after she started to crawl.  
Mom would yell at Dad for forgetting to put the baby locks back on when he was done using a cabinet. She would yell that he doesn't spend enough time with Holly or any of his other children for a matter of fact. She would yell at him for not making enough and she suggested that he should "get another job, but that would be devastating if the neighbors found out." the fights are stupid! She hasn't worked since Nancy was born and that was the fall of her freshman year of college. Or at least it would have been, she didn't go to college. All she knew was raising kids. I think she had Holly to try to keep her job, but to also make my dad stay. Dad never raises his voice, he doesn't even answer back. He just puts his head down, like a child being shamed for receiving a bad grade on their school work. I don't want to interfere with the fighting so I hide here Ã‚Â or take long bike rides if they fight when it is light out.

I just want them to get it over with already. There have always been whispers around town about my parents. The rumors are absolutely ridiculous. they say that my dad is the abuser and that Hopper had to come to our house a couple of times because of the fights, apparently my mom won't leave the house for a few days because of al the cuts and bruises she would get. Well that is what Nancy would call "Bull shit". This town can be absolutely stupid. No one ever leaves, we always stay for one reason or another.

I am leaving this town as soon as I turn eighteen! No matter what happens I am leaving this town. I am going to a college far away and never turning back. 

I hear silence. There are creaks from the floorboards meaning that mom is going to bed. Dad has been sleeping on the lazy boy in the family room since we bought it, I think he bought it just so he didn't have to sleep on that uncomfortable couch. 

The sound of footsteps are lighter and their aren't so many creaks this time. I know that it is Nancy that is checking on baby Holly. I don't hear any crying, which is good. Mom would blame her yelling and waking up Holly on him. Nancy continues and the footsteps sound closer which is strange because she never comes to visit me.

She knocks with enough force for me to hear it but not enough for Mom, Dad or Holly to hear it. I stand up and before I could open it she is already inside with the door closed. She walks straight to my window and doesn't bother turning around. 

"Nancy?" I ask.

She only responds with a sniffle.

"Nancy, everything will be okay. We have each other and Holly too!"� I try my best to sound cheerful.

She looks at me like I am crazy. She knows that I have Lucas, Dustin, and Will talk to but all she has is Barb. She would never tell me what is going on with her life. Don't get me wrong, she is really easy to talk to, but she is not pretty enough or something stupid like that. Barb is a good friend and an even better person. I don't care that Barb is her only friend! Barb makes up for having one hundred friends. Barb will do anything for Nancy and I mean anything. We may have terrible life, but at least I have someone to go through all of it with.

I grab her hand and we both lay on the edge on my bed and look up at that popcorn ceiling trying to find shapes until we fall asleep. 

I wake up the sky still black and to someone screaming bloody murder.


	2. Scarlet Zinnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you like this!! :)

Nancy’s POV

All I hear is mom’s voice screaming slurred words. All the words are a huge jumbled ball of fishing wire, everytime you try to unknot it more knots appear. Her voice is getting louder, with face more red and one hand wrapped around a wine bottle the other ferr to smack you around. When she gets violence she gets sloppy enough to miss but, when she does hurt, it could knock you into next week. I have to protect Holly and Mike, no matter what the cost.   
    She makes her way up the stairs towards the bedrooms. I walk up behind her and grab the wine bottle. She is too drunk to notice. She lucky goes straight to her bed without a fight or even a glance. I run downstairs to throw the wine bottle in the recycling. I turn around to find mom with anger filled in her eyes. She comes at me and I hit my head on the counter. There is blood everywhere and I start to feel dizzy. I start to black out.  
I wake up screaming and in a panic.  
Someone grabs my torso. As I am about to scream I realize that it is Mike. I relax and take a few deep breaths. I hadn’t realized that I had fallen asleep in Mike’s bed. I look out his window to see that the sun is filled with shades of blues, oranges, and pinks. This is my favorite time of day. Mom is still asleep and Mike and I can start to eat before the hurricane comes down in a hungover wrath. Mike and I finish off our Eggo’s and eggs (his with maple syrup and mine with just cheese) when Dad wakes up with a large and long groan. Both Mike and I exchange looks. We hear pounding footsteps, Holly crying, and a hand come in contact with something hard. Mike and I take this as our cue to leave for school.   
The Holland family station waggon is in standing position across the street. I know that I can always trust Barb. Mike passes by me as I climb into the car. Barb and I exchange a look as Ms. Holland asks how I am doing. I lie and tell her that I am fine. If I told her the truth she wouldn’t understand. The way to school was silent, no one really minds. It is around 7am and even the sky is just waking up.    
Once inside Barb and I are inside she starts with her questioning. There is a rumor flying around that Hawkins High’s Hottie, THE Steve Harrington had I had a fling. I would never tell her the truth but I need to be consistent. I told her that I will tell her later. She gives me one of her all knowing grins.  
She is always here when I need her. She is my rock and I can tell her anything. no matter what happens at night,she is always there for me in the morning and makes me feel loved and wanted. She is one of the few people that I can count on. The first bell shook me out of my thoughts.  
I am dragging my feet towards my first class, algebra with Mrs. Winer also known as Mrs. Whiner. All she does during class is complain that the “new generation” is a bunch of screw ups and will never accomplish anything. I just stare out the window all class. I dream of a place where parents don’t fight or drink, people are happy, and Mike and Holly have a safe place to live. The bell shakes me from the happy thoughts I was having. This cycle happens all day, everyday until the worst thing imaginable happens...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that it is short but the next one will be better. Tis' the season. this chapter was Zinnia (Scarlet) meaning consistent. let me know what you think


	3. Bayleaf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bay leaf means I change in death. this chapter has self harm triggers along with mentions of suicide. This is a Barb Point of view chapter and since we really didn't see much of her I decided to play around with the idea of Barb and the underlying context. note that it is a mildly gay fic. it is my first gay fic and the first time I am writing in a while. Let me know what you think and throw a kudos while you are at it.

Barb’s POV

As my mom pulls into the driveway of Nancy’s house I see Mike and Nacy, to put it lightly, run out of the house. I hoped that today would be different. 

Nancy has talked a bit about her home life. She spends after school at my house or the library with me and most nights in my bedroom as a sleep over. I am always her safe haven. It makes me feel things that I know are wrong. She is so infatuated with THE Steve Harrington to notice my feelings for her. I just want to kiss her supple lips and she is just adorable when she bites her bottom lip when she is nervous. If anyone found out I would kill myself. I even have a secret plan about it.

My feelings cause me to take matters into my own hands, I started with snapping a rubber band on my wrist until it bleed for every time I felt something towards anyone other than the male gender. It progressed to burning my arms and all the way up to cutting. I just can't stop. Sometimes I even crave the physical pain that Nancy feels everyday at her house. 

“Barb… Barb… Barbara Marie Holland!”

My full name snaps me out of my thoughts. I turn towards the voice, paste a smile on my face, and tug on my sweater sleeves to make sure that it covers all the scars. Nancy smiles the smile that she only shows me. It makes me melt inside. I always keep track of my feels. For each wrong feeling equals one cut. It is not even 8:30 and I already have a cut. I just want to smash my head against a wall. I look up to see Nancy’s face full of concern and her head tilted to the side. I tell her that I am just stressed about Mrs. Winer’s test first period. She nods her head and continues whatever she was talking about before. 

 

One we arrive at school Nancy climbs out and my mother stops me before I even pick up my books. She has a concerned look on her agged face. The creases on her face turn to wrinkles and her friendly smile is turned upside down. 

This look I know will get me into some trouble. Mom will start going off about everything wrong in my life and trust me this will take her days to get over. My life seems very shut off. By that I mean Nancy is my only friend, I don’t go out much, I don’t have a boyfriend, and I look hideous in the sweaters when she has bought me so many nice dresses and short sleeve shirts. 

I brush off of her glance and climb out of the van. I find that Nancy is waiting for me outside of the van. She is staring at Steve Harrison from across the benches in front of the school, twirling her hair and chewing on her bottom lip with a sparkle in her eye. Rage fills inside of me but I calm the oncoming storm. How dare she not notice my advances. Although they are discreet some are quite noticeable. Nancy turns to see me and for a millisecond I see the same look in her eye directed towards me. Maybe she thought of the time we had a sleepover and we played truth or dare.

Last year we were in our PJ’s at my house trying to quiet our giggles whilst playing truth or dare. It happened to be my turn and at this time I was in limbo with my sexuality. I dared her to kiss me. She had a look of shock and the giggles died down. Everyone knows you can’t back out of truth or dare. She slowly leans forward looking a mix of being nervous and shy. She is at a distance where she hesitantly closes her eyes. I lean forward closing my eyes as my stomach churns. Our lips brush for one second, but it feels like butterflies are fluttering in my stomach. She pulls apart and looks down to her right though play with the hem of her floral nightgown. I know that we will never speak of this again.

“Barb, why are you so spaced this morning. The test can’t cause you that much stress,” said Nancy.

“I don’t know. I guess I may just be tired.” I respond as we walk through the arches of our school and to our classroom.

Nancy leads the way through a classroom size maze of desks as I try to not look at her ass. She sits in the middle of the classroom next to the window, she said it has a perfect view of outside and a nice breeze in the spring as well as a great view of the God that is Steve Harrington. I can’t stand Steve he is just a douchebag. He toys with Nancy and she is just in enough pain already with her family life. Mrs. Winer walks into the room as the late bell rings and everyone scatters to their seats and getting ready for the test worth half of our semester grade.


End file.
